Cairo, Egypt

We docked in Alexandria, Egypt this morning for a full day of touring. We took a motor coach inland to the capital city of Cairo.

Our first stop was on the west side of the Nile River to see the Pyramids of Giza; one of the seven wonders of the world. The pyramids, a total of three, rose from the desert floor and were magnificent. The largest Pyramid, the Great Pyramid, was built with about 2.5 million blocks of stone and climbed to approximately 460 feet tall. When we disembarked the coach we were met with locals selling camel rides and souvenirs. These Egyptians were professionals and reminded me of gypsies, living off of the people by conning them. I would caution anyone coming to this site to be prepared to be tough and not let them take you, easier said than done. Despite this barrage of locals I enjoyed a camel ride and a good visit at the pyramids and also at the Sphinx just down the road.

For lunch we dined at a 5-star resort in Giza and saw how the wealthy spent their time. The buffet featured local dishes and an array of fresh salads including one made completely of artichokes and olives…yummm.

We continued over to the east side of the Nile to downtown Cairo and the Papyrus Institute; where they demonstrate the ancient art of making paper out of the Papyrus plant. It was a fun and educational stop with a shopping excursion, of course, before getting on the motor coach. I enjoyed picking up my Cartouche; a charm representing an Egyptian scroll with my name and a good luck symbol, a scarab beetle, engraved on it. My name is represented by a hand (D) and two reeds (E) in ancient hieroglyphics and is a nice memory of my visit.

The last stop of the day was at the Egyptian Museum. It was a fantastic collection of artifacts including mummies and relics from the tomb of the Pharaoh Tut-Ankh-Amun.

Tomorrow we will head to Port Said and begin our cruise through the Suez Canal.